


It's Not Him

by OceanOwlsTweet



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Misunderstandings, Reunions, Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OceanOwlsTweet/pseuds/OceanOwlsTweet
Summary: What if when Sakura and Naruto came back from the other world Madara sent them to, Sasuke also decided it was time to come back to the village.Post Movie 6 AU
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 5
Kudos: 35





	1. Back Home... Or Not?

**Author's Note:**

> There may or may not be pairings in this. This will be very short, so if you want a long developed read, this is not it.

Naruto opened his eyes. Everything looked the same. The swings, Sakura and him had been swinging on before, the crater she had left when she had attacked Madara. Could it be? Were they finally home?

“Are we…?” Sakura’s voice, soft and hopeful, drifted off.

Naruto glanced up to the Hokage Mountain, he squinted at it. It was covered up. Not that that meant they weren’t home, a lot of time might have passed, meaning they could have put that up any old time. Besides, the other world they were stuck in hadn’t covered their Hokage Monument up either. 

Cautiously, in case Madara was still around, Naruto turned to step out of the crater, he looked up, at least the moon wasn’t red anymore. 

“Naruto… your cloak.”

Naruto looked down; his eyebrows furrowed. Realisation came crashing down, he smiled sadly. He would miss his parents. He knew they hadn’t been his real parents, and they had thought he was someone else, but it had been nice… to have a family. But he was glad to be back.

“We did it, Sakura, we’re home.”

She smiled, tired but happy.

Naruto grinned back at her. 

Together they walked for a bit, just soaking up the goodness. They were back! Naruto could just jump for joy! He found himself grinning unconsciously, absentmindedly he wondered how long they had been gone. Sakura and him had spent a few days in that other world waiting for the red moon. Were people worried? Oh no! What if Granny Tsunade had sent out a search party. She would kill them if she knew they had been in the village the whole time! They passed a couple of people on the way. They didn’t seem to take it as a big deal. Had no one noticed their disappearance?!

Walking out into the busy streets of Konoha, Naruto stopped curiously. There was a big crowd encircling something near the gate. As much as he wanted to push through the crowd and see who or what was taking everyone attention more than their return, Naruto had bad experiences with pushing through big crowds. They were never nice to him and often pushed back. Hard.

Sakura stooped beside him.

“What’s going on over there?”

Naruto shrugged. He wasn’t _that_ curious.

Sakura grabbed Naruto’s arm dragging him behind her, as she took big hasty steps. Naruto stumbled behind her, at least it was better than her pulling his ear, he thought.

“Sakura! Wait. Don’t you think we should go to Granny Tsunade first?”

“I mean, she might get mad if we don’t, and—”

“Be quiet Naruto. We _need_ to see what’s going on. What if they need our help.”

Naruto wasn’t too sure how much help they could be, he had used quite a bit of his chakra fighting Madara and he and Sakura, both, had taken a beating. In fact, he was constantly reminded of that beating, as the pain in his abdomen throbbed.

As they approached and people started noticing them, surprisingly they did not have to push through, people _willingly_ parted for them. Naruto looked to Sakura, who had let go of his arm now, to see her looking just as confused as he felt. People had never parted for him like that, they had avoided him in disgust or fear sometimes, but they had never done this before. 

As they got closer to the front Naruto could just make out spiky silver hair. Kakashi sensei! What was Kakashi sensei doing in the middle of things? The sight that greeted Naruto when he and Sakura _finally_ reached the middle, had Naruto stopping in his tracks. First there was shock and disbelief, then anger and realisation. Then there was nothing but dread. Dread, because Sasuke _fucking_ Uchiha was standing right smack bam in the middle of all this chaos. Granny Tsunade stooped talking turning to face Sakura and Naruto, an unreadable expression her face. Kakashi sensei had also turned to face them. Naruto for his part didn’t know what to say, nothing else would register. 

Naruto had begged and begged, fought and fought, for Sasuke to come back. And now here he was, inside the village. There was no way he had come back on his own.

Which meant this wasn’t their Sasuke. 

Sakura had really missed her parents. Now she knew how Naruto had felt all his life.

Sakura almost cried when Naruto’s cloak vanished. They were home. They were home! She wanted to yell it to the whole world. Tired but happy, she walked with Naruto through alley ways, and even passed some people. They didn’t seem to think it was a big deal that they were back. Sakura shrugged it off, it was normal for civilians to be left out of the loop, otherwise there’d be panic.

He skipped happily behind Naruto, ignoring the aches and groans of protest from her body. Who cared. She was home! She couldn’t wait to see her parents. Didn’t mind if her mom yelled at her, or her dad told stupid jokes. She looked to Naruto, he had been really mature back there, it can’t have been easy to leave the only family he’d ever known. Speaking of Naruto, that idiot had stopped right in the middle of the alley way. Slipping past him, she saw what had caused him to stop. There was a big crowd of people gathered at the gate. What was going on? Was someone hurt? As much as Sakura knew she and Naruto should go tell Lady Tsunade what happened, her curiosity was killing her. Grabbing Naruto’s arm, she pulled him along behind her fully intent on pushing her way through the crowd. 

Naruto for his part was babbling about something or the other.

“Be quiet Naruto. We _need_ to see what’s going on. What if they need our help.”

Surprisingly, the crowd parted to let Naruto and her through, which was… odd. What she saw in the middle made her tense, muscles aching in protest. This couldn’t be. No… no. No. No! NO. NO! They had beaten Madara and the poor kid he had possessed. They had beat him! They were supposed to go home. This should be home! But no matter how she looked at it Sakura could not find another explanation… they were still in the other world.

At first nothing happened. It was like the whole world had frozen. No one in the crowd spoke, Lady Tsunade had stopped speaking and was looking at her and Naruto, an unreadable expression on her face. Kakashi sensei for his part looked calm. Then… anger. This Sasuke… was an absolute jerk. How dare he play her like that. How dare he take advantage of her like that. Sakura didn’t know what made her do it. Maybe it was the stress and hopelessness of the situation, or maybe the thought of not seeing her parents had got to her. In two quick strides she stood in front of Sasuke, she took one look at his annoying cheating face, she raised her arm and she struck.

SLAP.

Naruto wasn’t surprised when fake Sasuke stumbled back a bit. Sakura hit hard. And contrary to popular belief, Naruto wasn’t _that_ dense, he knew the other Sasuke had been a playboy, when he had seen him with a bunch of girls. It wasn’t hard to piece together, and as far as Naruto was concerned, he deserved it. And Sakura couldn’t be blamed, he was just as devastated as her, he really thought they had done it. 

Sakura had tears streaming down her face now.

“Sasuke you jerk!”

With that Sakura turned tail and ran. It went unspoken between them, but Naruto understood that Sakura expected him to follow her, and he would. They only had each other now, after all. Naruto looked to Sasuke. The Uchiha heir looked shocked, so did everyone for that matter. Iruka sensei had shoved his way to the front, now Naruto felt like crying, he wished he was still eating ramen with Iruka sensei. Everyone was looking at him. With one last look at Sasuke, Naruto turned and ran, in pursuit of Sakura.


	2. News About Naruto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I make this SasuNaru?

Tsunade sighed. Those brats were always giving her a headache. Of course, Sasuke Uchiha had decided tonight was a great time to intrude on her peace and declare he wanted to come back to the village. It had caused a big ruckus too. She took a sip from her sake and looked up. Said brat was standing in front of her, a blank expression on his face, with Kakashi off to the side. The side of his face that Sakura had slapped was beginning to turn red. 

That was another problem she had to deal with. It had been odd, and more than a little worrying. Sakura’s reaction wasn’t so hard to understand, but her running away after, had rubbed her the wrong way. And Naruto. His reaction had shocked her the most, he hadn’t grinned, or picked a fight, in fact he hadn’t said a word. Out of everyone she had thought that Naruto would be happiest about this. They hadn’t reacted like they should’ve. It was like Sasuke being back was the least of the shocks. 

She looked to the young Uchiha, she knew he didn’t want to be here, he had wanted to go after Naruto and Sakura. But he had come willingly once she said he had to come with her first, obviously he was trying to show that he meant no harm and that they could trust him. 

“Hokage sama, I hope you will let me back into the village.”

Tsunade _hated _this bastard. He had caused Naruto and Sakura so much pain. Naruto almost died on multiple occasions trying to get him to come back. And now he had come back on his own accord? There had to be a reason, and it better be good, if he wanted her to even consider letting him walk free in her village again.__

__“If I were to let you back, you understand you would have to have a capable shinobi on you at all times for at least a couple of months.”_ _

__She stared at him coldly._ _

__“I do.”_ _

__“Why did you come back Uchiha?”_ _

__“For my friends. I’ve realised they’re the only family I have now,” his voice was monotone, but Tsunade could see he really meant it. He really came back to make things better._ _

__“I’ve… I’ve made mistakes. And I would like to atone for them.”_ _

__Tsunade could not detect deception in that. It had been genuine, and she was glad for it. But she swore to god, if this bastard hurt Naruto or Sakura one more time, he would wish he had never come back._ _

__With one last calculating glare, she nodded to show she accepted his reasons._ _

__“Kakashi will be the one shadowing you, and if you step one foot out of line, he will have no reservations to calling for back up. Once Naruto and Sakura get it together I will also ask them to keep an eye on you,” Sasuke nodded, “and mark my words Uchiha, if I find out you’re lying, or if you _hurt_ them, there will be consequences.”_ _

__Her glare intensified._ _

__“Hai Hokage sama,” he did a little bow._ _

__“Good, now we need to work out your living arrangements, I hardly think you want to go back to the Uchiha compound, so I’m proposin—”_ _

__BAM._ _

__Tsunade turned sharply. Shizune was standing in the door frame, and behind her there seemed to be a… civilian?_ _

__“Shizune, what are you doing here? You should know better than to enter without knocking.”_ _

__Tsunade put her head in her hands, her headache was getting worse._ _

__“Godaime sama, this is important, this civilian claims to have news about Naruto.”_ _

__God. What could Naruto have done now. It couldn’t have been anything too serious, Tsunade was 99 percent sure he was with Sakura. Then again Sakura wasn’t that stable at the moment._ _

__Great. All she needed was two reckless crazy strong shinobi going rampant._ _

__A vein throbbed on her forehead, there was another headache inducing shinobi._ _

__Tsunade sighed._ _

__“Come in Iruka, surely you’ll want to here what Naruto’s done now.”_ _

__Neither Sasuke nor Kakashi looked surprised as Iruka walked in looking somewhat guilty but determined, she would expect no less from her jonin and her (hopefully) soon to be reinstated genin (Tsunade was no fool, she knew how good of an ally Sasuke could be)._ _

__Once Iruka had settled himself next to Kakashi, Tsunade turned to the woman._ _

__“What exactly did you see or hear ma’am?”_ _

__“Lady Hokage, he and that Haruno girl, they…”_ _

__Tsunade’s eyes widened. She stood up so fast, her chair clattered behind her._ _

__“THEY WHAT!?”_ _

__\-----_ _

__Sasuke watched from the trees as the villagers went along with their daily lives. He was debating how to enter the village he’d once called home. Konohagakure, the great village hidden in the leaves, he was finally back. He smirked, imagining that idiot, Naruto’s reaction when he announces his return. Although he would never admit it, he had missed Naruto, and even Sakura, they were the only family he had left now, his fist tightened._ _

__When he had first found out the truth about the Uchiha massacre, all he had wanted was revenge. Revenge on the stupid village who killed and ripped his family apart. But then the dobe had come after him, and fuck him, but he had actually made some sense. Why punish a village for the actions of the cowardly scum who runs the village. It made absolute sense, his big brother had died for this village and he would not let his legacy go in vain, he would go back to the village and restore his clan and its name, and while he was at it, he would make sure those salty village elders regretted the day they were born._ _

__He would make Konoha great again._ _

__Well there was no use hanging out here anymore, it was time to make his entrance. He hopped down from the tree he had been hiding in, landing in front of the gate. Izumo and Kotetsu stood up from behind their desk instantly looking torn between scowling at him and gaping. Sasuke glanced at them, then walked over, he had to be civil and show he didn’t mean any harm. But Sasuke wasn’t worried, if he had been an ordinary rogue nin he, trying to get back into the village would probably be more trouble than it was worth, but he was Sasuke Uchiha. If he couldn’t talk his way into it then Naruto and Sakura could be pretty persuasive._ _

__Sasuke wasn’t stupid enough to believe that any of Naruto’s friends would stand up for him, they probably hated his guts, though they had never opposed, to Sasuke’s knowledge, Naruto’s incessant attempts at getting him back._ _

__“I would like an audience with the Hokage, I mean no harm.”_ _

__Some people had stopped to gape openly gape at him now. People were gathering and whispering in their groups, but Sasuke paid them no mind, the only people he really wanted to see were Naruto and Sakura. Though if he were being honest mostly Naruto._ _

__He had… missed him._ _

__“Oh, you would like an audience with me would you?”_ _

__Kotetsu and Izumo bowed, “Hokage sama,” they said respectfully._ _

__Sasuke turned around. The Hokage was an intimidating woman, she seemed cold and calculating. This didn’t bother Sasuke, it was obvious she didn’t like him, and he had no reason to be particularly fond of her._ _

__“Yes, I would.”_ _

__“What do you want Uchiha,” she spat the name out like she was saying the name of an incurable disease. Sasuke wanted to change that. His clan name should not be spoken of in such distaste._ _

__“I would like to come back to the village, I am sorry for what I have done, and wish to serve the leaf once more.”_ _

__Quite a crowd had gathered now, including quite a few of his old classmates (glaring at him), and both his old senseis (Kakashi looking indifferent as usual). Sasuke was surprised Naruto hadn’t showed up yet, and Sakura for that matter, Sasuke thought he had glimpsed her parents in the crowd earlier._ _

__“Is that so…” she turned away, “god… I’m too old for this,” she muttered to herself, pinching her nose._ _

__The silence was palpable, apart from the few stray mutterings of the crowd, it was like it was just the Hokage and him waiting for judgement._ _

__“Sakura! Wait. Don’t you think we should go to Granny Tsunade first?”_ _

__Sasuke turned, eyes wide, he knew that voice, rough and smooth at the same time._ _

__Naruto._ _

__“I mean, she might get mad if we don’t, and—”_ _

__“Be quiet Naruto. We _need_ to see what’s going on. What if they need our help.”_ _

__Sakura._ _


	3. Sasuke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to make this Sasunaru, though the rating will stay the same.

Here they were, both his ex-teammates, they would vouch for him, and his new life would be on a role. Sasuke looked to Naruto, the dobe looked shocked. Though there was something off about his expression, like… Sasuke had expected him to be more shocked than he was. Sasuke stared back as Naruto’s piercing eyes locked on his, it was unsettling for Naruto to be quiet for so long. Sasuke met his gaze head on, smirking at him, a _challenge _, that ought a get the idiot fired up and bring some normalcy back to their situation.__

__He held Naruto’s gaze, but frowned, something wasn’t right._ _

__His eye brows furrowed as Naruto’s eyes widened going from confused to _horrified? _What the fuck? What the hell was the dobe thinking.___ _

____Then Sakura came up to him looking furious. She was probably gonna punch him then hug him crying. He winced internally, remembering how much her hits hurt. Maybe Naruto had anticipated his fate with Sakura and that’s what made him pull that face. Sasuke sighed internally, relieved, Naruto’s eyes were too expressive, Sasuke had almost thought something was wrong. With that, Sasuke turned to his full attention to Sakura, who looked on the verge of tears. It was odd for her to be acting first, he stole a quick glance at Naruto, who was looking down now, his eyes which would normally be betraying all his emotions, hidden behind long thick lashes._ _ _ _

____SLAP._ _ _ _

____Sasuke stumbled back._ _ _ _

____Sakura had _slapped _him.___ _ _ _

______Sakura _never _slaps him.___ _ _ _ _ _

________Shocked, Sasuke stood and watched as tears began to spill from Sakura’ s emerald eyes. She didn’t look relieved or happy to see him, or even disbelieving. She looked downright angry, her eyes burning with such hatred that Sasuke was at a loss for words. Sakura was angry at him? Why?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Sasuke you jerk!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He watched Sakura’s retreating form. Everyone was silent, the atmosphere was now tense. Even Kakashi looked shocked. No one had expected that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sakura was level-headed and loving, and most importantly she had wanted Sasuke back just as much as Naruto had, and had never expressed any _hatred _towards Sasuke. Ever.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Naruto… he hadn’t said anything yet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sasuke’s head turned so fast in Naruto’s direction, he thought he might get whiplash._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He didn’t look surprised at Sakura’s reaction at all. Naruto’s eyes met Sasuke’s. And there was pain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sasuke had never seen Naruto look so vulnerable outside of a fight. He didn’t look like he wanted to hug or even fight him, hell Naruto looked like he wanted nothing to do with him or anything for that matter. Before Sasuke could try to decipher more from his expression or call his name, Naruto suddenly turned tail and ran._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sasuke was shocked. What the hell had happened while he had been gone! Naruto hadn’t said a _word _. Not a single _fucking _word! It took a while for his mind to get rapped around what had just happened, but as soon as he had he was ready to go after them. Unfortunately, the Hokage had recovered from her shock as soon as he had, and he had to keep her placated if he ever wanted back into the village. He took one last glance at the spot where Naruto had been standing, he would have to go find them later. Turning cold obsidian eyes to the Hokage he nodded, and followed after her._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Just as Sasuke had been contemplating his living situation._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________BAM._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Sasuke tensed. A black-haired woman was standing at the door with some other woman, who looked boring to Sasuke._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Shizune, what are you doing here? You should know better than to enter without knocking.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He turned to look at the Hokage, she seemed to know the black haired lady, so it was safe to assume that she was a kunoichi, but the other woman seemed boringly plain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The Hokage put her head in her hands, she seemed to be getting quite annoyed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Godaime sama, this is important, this civilian claims to have news about Naruto.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Sasuke was immediately alert. What had that idiot done now? This sounded urgent too…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Come in Iruka, surely you’ll want to hear what Naruto’s done now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Sasuke wasn’t surprised, he had known the chunin had been eavesdropping. He looked somewhat guilty as he stepped into the room. There was something not right about him. Sasuke had noticed immediately, the way Naruto had looked at him before running off. Had they had a fight?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“What exactly did you see or hear ma’am?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Lady Hokage, he and that Haruno girl, they… they left the village ma’am.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Sasuke felt like the breath had been knocked out of him, at the same time he had the ridiculous urge to laugh. That was the most ludicrous statement he had ever heard. Naruto? Leave the village? And not to mention Sakura. There was no way… this had to be some kind of sick joke. Sasuke decides to come back and suddenly, Sakura and Naruto leave? They were the ones who had always fought so hard for _him _to come back. They would _never _leave the village._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________It was clear to Sasuke that this lady was delusional._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“THEY WHAT!?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Iruka sensei looked like he’d just been sucker punched, and even Kakashi had put that perverted book of his down. Surely, they didn’t think there was truth to these words._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Sasuke looked back to the civilian. She looked scared to speak, having recoiled at the Hokage’s outburst._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Tell me what you saw.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The Hokage’s words were taut and tense. Clearly, she was restraining herself from yelling again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I—I heard them talking at first. The Haruno girl, she said, ‘we can’t stay here Naruto’, she punched a hole in my house, you see. And he agreed. I was curious so—so I followed and they snuck out they really did, they were just blurs, and they reappeared on the other side of the gate. I would not have spotted them if it hadn’t been for that orange jumpsuit.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Sasuke felt a chill grip his heart. Fear. Only one ninja in the entire world was stupid enough to wear orange. And if this civilian was to be trusted, Sakura and Naruto left the village. And they left willingly. Was it because of him? This was ridiculous, was this how Naruto felt when he had left the village? He felt like punching the fucking wall._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The Hokage turned sharply._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Kakashi! Organise a search of the village, involve the ANBU. Iruka tell team 10 and team 8 that I have summoned them.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Immediately, Kakashi and Iruka shunshined out, leaving Sasuke, Lady Tsunade and the Shizune lady. The Hokage put her chair back up and sat on it with a sigh. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. Was she ignoring him? Sasuke understood that if he wanted to make Konoha great again, he would have to be on good terms with this woman, but seriously? She was making this very hard._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Uchiha…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Sasuke perked up as she finally spoke. Shizune seemed surprised too, as she turned to the Hokage surprised._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I hate your guts, but I don’t think they left because of you. As much as it pains me to say this, they care about you for whatever reason. I’m sending team 8 and 10 on a retrieval mission and I want you to go with them. I don’t know why they left… but if you get them back Sasuke…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________She finally looked up. Her gaze intense._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I will forget all the pain you ever inflicted upon this village. Bring them back Sasuke.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Sasuke stared back determined._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Naruto had once come after him, when he had left the village… and stupidly he had refused. Now he was going to do the same for Naruto, he would not lose another three years with him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He was going to bring Naruto back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	4. Leaving the Village

Naruto hopped from tree to tree, following behind Sakura. He wasn’t sure where they were going, all he knew is that they had to find Madara. He had brought them here and he would bring them back. They would _make _him. They had to.__

__But first they had to find him._ _

__“Sakura, where do you think he could be?”_ _

__Sakura looked back at him as she jumped._ _

__“I don’t know Naruto, but right now we have to get as far away from the village as possible. It’s more than likely that Lady Tsunade has or will send people to look for us.”_ _

__That’s right. She might even send _him _.___ _

____That pale skin, cold obsidian eyes. Why did that _fake _have to look so much like him, dammit! It wasn’t fair. For a split-second Naruto had almost let himself believe that Sasuke was actually back. Naruto’s feature grew downcast. _Like that would ever happen _._____ _ _ _

________It was kind of weird, being away from the village, especially when he knew they had snuck out. And it wasn’t a good feeling. IT felt absolutely wrong, like he was running away from his friends; his _family _. It felt nothing like when he had left his ‘parents’ to go rescue Sakura from the masked man. Naruto glanced back, he knew they had to leave, that this was possibly the only way to get back home, but it still felt wrong.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Brat… I can feel his presence…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Naruto blinked as his surroundings shifted, changing into the dank cell that held the great Kyuubi no Yoko. Kyuubi’s huge claws had gripped the bars of his cage, his eyes were closed. Naruto tilted his head, confused._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________‘Who’s?’_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The Kyuubi opened his eyes, blood red orbs looked irritated as he focused his gaze in Naruto._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The Uchiha who has trapped us. Madara…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________‘Wait you know where he is?!’_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Naruto instantly exclaimed, before narrowing his eyes in suspicion._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________‘Wait, why are you still helping me? I thought you hated me.’_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The Kyuubi sighed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________As much as you annoy me, and I hate you for being my host… I hate Uchihas more and I would hate to be imprisoned within one. Especially Madara. Until we get back home I would propose a truce._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________One of Kyuubi’s arms shot out through the bars, a sharp finger stopping just short of where Naruto was standing. Naruto stared at the hand considering, the Kyuubi had helped him earlier, proving the side he’s rather be on… besides he had just as much to lose as Naruto did. Reaching out Naruto, clasped the claw in his hand, grinning._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________‘Deal!’_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Kyuubi followed suit with his own toothy grin, all of his malicious teeth showing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The kit was growing on him…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Up ahead Sakura stopped, crouched low on a tree branch. Naruto stopped beside her, hand placed on the tree’s trunk._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“That should be far enough. We shouldn’t go any further until we’ve picked the location we think Madara is in.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Naruto nodded, then pointed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“We should go that way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sakura raised a delicate speculating eyebrow._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“What makes you so sure he’s that way, for all we know he could be in the other direction?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She watched curiously as Naruto placed a hand on his stomach._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“He told me…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sakura’s eyes widened. The Kyuubi was speaking to Naruto now? When had this begun? Sakura had been shocked enough when the Kyuubi had appeared and _helped _Naruto, but she had figured that had been a one-time thing (and she had forgotten what with all the excitement of being back). But this was something else completely, the Kyuubi was _talking _to Naruto._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Naruto are sure we can trust him?! I mean, why would he help us?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Naruto turned to face Sakura, expression serious (which was rare). Sakura stepped back shocked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Sakura trust me, Kyuubi hates Madara more than he hates me. He wants out of this world just as much as we do. It’s just a temporary truce. Besides what else have we got to go on?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Sakura stared into Naruto’s blue eyes. His gaze was hard and determined. She sighed, defeated, there was no arguing with Naruto when he got like that. Looks like they would have to trust the fox, which Sakura wasn’t too wary about, Naruto was a good judge of character._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Without waiting for Sakura’s answer, Naruto hopped off further into the woods. That idiot, they had to stick together dammit! If she wasn’t already exhausted from her fight with possessed Menma, she would punch the living daylights out of him. Annoyed, Sakura followed after him, she would have to trust that he knew what he was doing. For now they both had to save energy fro their confrontation with Madara._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________TIME SKIP_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________They were almost there, Naruto had said. The Kyuubi could apparently sense that Madara was really close now, which had Sakura on high alert. They were in unfamiliar territory, meaning the enemy had the upper hand. She could tell that Naruto was tensed too. It was obvious he was expecting an attack too._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________Rustle. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Naruto jumped away from the bush, just as Sakura sent kunai flying at it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Another rustle… and a rabbit hopped out of the bushes. They both sweat dropped, were they really that on edge._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Sakura I’m tired!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________That idiot._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Naruto you idiot shut up! You’re gonna get us caught!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“But Sakura! My legs will fall off if we go any further!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Although she knew what Naruto meant, and her body was protesting the journey too, she did not want to lose this fight. Haughtily, she turned her head to the side and crossed her arms._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Well that’s not my problem Naruto—”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“But SAKUR—ow!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Sakura removed her hand from Naruto’s head, where a bump was already forming._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“I said be quiet! Now let’s keep moving.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________With that she turned around to resume her tree hopping, distinctively hearing Naruto mutter something about her ‘not being quiet’. She was about to give Naruto another piece of her mind when she heard something._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Another Rustle, but his time it didn’t sound like it was made by a small animal._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Ino was worried._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________When Lady Tsunade had called them to her office she hadn’t known what to think. No doubt it would have something to do with Sasuke though. Sasuke who had come back to the village, _now _of all times. She could only imagine how Sakura and Naruto had been feeling, _she _had felt a little sick and giddy. So quick as a flash she raced to the Hokage tower, to find that Choji, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba and Shino had also been summoned to see the Hokage._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________She had definitely not been expecting what came out of the Hokage’s mouth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“ _They left _.” She’d said.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________She remembered how everything had felt so surreal, Kiba had yelled, Shikamaru had cursed, Hinata had looked on the verge of tears. And the only question that had been left was… why?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________________Why? ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________When Sasuke had left, she had understood why. She didn’t support him or condone his methods, but she had got him. She had understood why. But Naruto and Sakura had absolutely no reason why. Why leave the village? It didn’t make sense. They should have been jumping for joy. Sasuke was back! But instead they had snuck out of the village and run. And if Ino couldn’t get them back then she would at least find out _why _?___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________Then Sasuke had showed up, and everything had gone to hell. Kiba had tried to strangle him, while Shikamaru held him back with his shadows. Choji had looked ready to kill as he ate his chips. And Ino… Ino hadn’t known how to feel. But the Hokage had made the decision that Sasuke was going with them on their retrieval mission along with Kakashi sensei, and really who could argue with that. It was their team that was incomplete, so it was only right that they came along._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________Ino sighed. In a matter of hours everything had gone so complicated. She glanced to her left at Sasuke. His obsidian eyes were narrowed and determined, as he stared off into the distance. They were all in the woods following Akamaru. They were being stealthy, to make sure that when they caught up with Naruto and Sakura, they would have the element of surprise. Ino was no fool, she knew how strong of a kunoichi Sakura was, and how strong od a shinobi Naruto was. And together those two made a fearsome duo. This wasn’t going to be easy even with their numbers, that element of surprise could be everything. The difference between success and failure…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________“Sakura I’m tired!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________Ino blinked. That had sounded… a lot like Naruto. But that couldn’t be right, surely they knew that Lady Tsunade would have had ninja go after them, and that they had to be _stealthy _.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“Naruto you idiot shut up! You’re gonna get us caught!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Ino sweat dropped. That was them alright. It was nice to know that even though they had pulled a Sasuke and left the village, that they were still Sakura and Naruto. They stopped at a couple of bushes that showed a clear view of a clearing in the woods. Naruto and Sakura seemed to have stopped there for a break._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“But Sakura! My legs will fall off if we go any further!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________What were those two idiots doing? ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________“How troublesome…” Shikamaru muttered under his breath, and Ino couldn’t help but agree with him. Had Lady Tsunade really sent all of them to bring back these two knuckleheads? She turned her head to look at her team. They all seem to be showing varying degrees of exasperation, disbelief and fondness. Even Kakashi sensei looked like he was smiling behind his mask._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________“Well that’s not my problem Naruto—”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________“But SAKUR—ow!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________“I said be quiet! Now let’s keep moving.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________They watched as Naruto rubbed the spot where Sakura had hit him. This all seemed so surreal, how could they act like everything was normal? Like they hadn’t just run away from the village._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________Shikamaru tapped her on the shoulder. Once. Twice. She nodded. That was the signal. Their attack would begin now. Everyone seemed to have tensed in anticipation of a fight. Ino hoped there didn’t have to be one. Hoped that their numbers and element of surprise was enough to end this quickly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________“Leaf Style Taijutsu: Human Bullet Tank.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________She watched as Choji began to expand, following his whispered words._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________This was it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________The fight had begun, whether she liked it or not._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> The context of my story is that Madara didn’t just use a gen jutsu on Naruto and Sakura, their bodies were actually transported into the other world.


End file.
